This invention relates generally to an adjustable support for plants such as vegetables and, more specifically, to an adjustable plant support featuring a flexible, cylindrically shaped coil connected between two end rings adapted for surrounding a plant and for being expanded vertically to accommodate plant growth and for being collapsed for convenient shipping and storage.
Generally speaking, adjustable plant support devices of various types of construction have long been known in the prior art. For example, see Swiss Pat. No. 202478 published Apr. 17, 1939, employing an elongated spiral cable or band extending vertically upward from the ground in a progressively smaller radius of curvature around a stake, the upper end of which cable or band is connected directly into the stake. The cable or band can be vertically expanded by lifting the upper end thereof and attaching it to higher points on the stake to accommodate plant growth upwardly within and along the spiral.
See also U.S. Pat. No. 2,000,911 issued to W. E. Balousek on May 14, 1935 which illustrates, in reference FIG. 1, a plant support consisting of a wire extending through various vertically spaced holes in a stake so as to form a spiral through or along which to entrain a plant. The spiral is, of course, not adjustable in height along the stake. The reference patent also discloses the use of various diameter hoops of wire connected in vertically spaced relationship along a stake through which a growing plant can be entrained.
Other prior art plant support systems utilizing several different rings or hoops connected to a stake through which plants may be entrained include U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,851,823 issued to C. E. Peterson on Sept. 16, 1958; 3,061,976 issued to J. J. Carroll et al. on Nov. 6, 1962; 4,519,162 issued to W. C. Stuckey on May 28, 1985 and 4,534,129 also issued to W. C. Stuckey on Aug. 13, 1985. In these latter instances, the various hoops must be independently adjusted in height and spacing.
My invention substantially overcomes these and other problems encountered with plant support systems of the prior art.